Containers for transporting animals, and particularly smaller pets like cats and dogs, are wellknown and are commonly used. The most common "pet carrier" is usually an enclosure with appropriate vent holes which is suitable for housing the pet. In most cases, such a carrier is small and restrictive. It fails to allow the animal much space. Of course when transporting a pet, a larger container may not be practical. First, it may be difficult to carry a large container. Second, buses, trains, airplanes, or similar common carriers may require that the size of pet containers be limited. Thus, even if a larger spaced pet container is available for moving the container manually or transporting it in a private car while enroute to, for example, a train station or an airport, the requirements of the common carrier may not permit such a container.
Attempts have been made to employ pet carriers which are capable of expanding. Examples are such carriers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,426 and 5,671,697. However, these and similar carriers do not provide that much additional space for the pet. Most significantly, it is a time consuming and cumbersome process to change the configuration of these carriers. In addition, none of the carriers contemplate allowing a change in their respective configurations while the pet remains in the carrier. Consequently, when there is an immediate need to collapse a carrier which contains a pet, for example at an airport or train station, or to place the carrier under a seat, the pet must first be removed and then secured in a controlled situation. The carrier must then be manually adjusted to change its size. Only after this is done can the pet be returned to the carrier. It can be appreciated that removing an active pet from its carrier in a public area, for any amount of time, will present problems. This situation becomes even more difficult if only one person is involved in removing the pet, controlling the pet, configuring the carrier, and then returning the pet. The present invention provides a solution to these problems.